Clear water

[Fire]

Can anyone out there can give me some tips on ,
how to keep goldfish tank water clear and clean?
I'm using a bio canister filter.
Thxs

[[email protected]]

Check water parameters including ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH and temperature.
once the tank is cycled the nitrates are the most important indicator of water
quality. if nitrates are over 20 ppm it will encourage fast growth of algae and
biobugs in the water.
too many fish for the size of tank and filter = poor water. 10 gallons water per
fish
cheap food which is mostly waste products = clogged filter, poor water
too much food, even good food = high nitrates, poor water
filters must be gently rinsed
gravel in a tank set up for more than a month or two could be clogged with debris =
high nitrates. got gravel?
so tell us more about your tank and fish. Ingrid

"Fire" > wrote:
>Can anyone out there can give me some tips on ,
>how to keep goldfish tank water clear and clean?
>I'm using a bio canister filter.
>Thxs
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Jimmy Chen]

> if nitrates are over 20 ppm it will encourage fast growth of algae and
> biobugs in the water.

You can have zero nitrate reading and still have fast algea growth. Just ask
anyone who has a SW reef.

jc

[Jimmy Chen]

> Can anyone out there can give me some tips on ,
> how to keep goldfish tank water clear and clean?

Get yourself a small UV and it go a long way on the green water issues.
However, this still do not take care of any excessive bioload problems if
they exist in your tank.

Frequent water changes is a true and tried method that works well for many
conditions.

jc

[[email protected]]

but in freshwater the algae is mostly on the side of the tank. Ingrid

"Jimmy Chen" > wrote:

>> if nitrates are over 20 ppm it will encourage fast growth of algae and
>> biobugs in the water.
>
>You can have zero nitrate reading and still have fast algea growth. Just ask
>anyone who has a SW reef.
>
>jc
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Jimmy Chen]

> but in freshwater the algae is mostly on the side of the tank. Ingrid

The spores will go water born, where they grow do will not prvent that.

jc

[Fire]

As a very new comer at keep Goldfish ( Thai ranchu ) i place 5 ranchu in 2
1/2 ft tank c/w a biofilter with no gravel.
I always find the water chalky,however the fish in them since to be active
and eating well.
In the biofilter (from top to bottom buckets) are filter on top of sponge
filter , corel chips and lava stones.
Each time only 20% of water are change and 3 teaspood of salt are added.
Food are of good grade............Hikari .
"Fire" > wrote in message
...
> Can anyone out there can give me some tips on ,
> how to keep goldfish tank water clear and clean?
> I'm using a bio canister filter.
> Thxs
>
>

[Jimmy Chen]

> In the biofilter (from top to bottom buckets) are filter on top of sponge
> filter , corel chips and lava stones.

Corel or coral chips?

Why are you using coral chips in a FW tank? The low FW pH will dissolve the
calcium carbonate from the chips and cloud up your water, not to mention
leading to a undesireable higher pH levels.

If your intention is to raise the pH, use very little and make sure you have
the proper test kit to measure your water dkh. If your intention is to have
a biological filter media, try using a more suitable media such as Seachem
Matrix.

jc

[[email protected]]

algae dont have spores. there are single celled kinds and the kind grows on the
sides of tanks (ponders call it sweater algae). there is no reason with balanced
tank that there should be cloudy white or cloudy green water. Ingrid


>The spores will go water born, where they grow do will not prvent that.
>
>jc
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[[email protected]]

I agree about not using coral in FW tanks. Ingrid

"Jimmy Chen" > wrote:

>> In the biofilter (from top to bottom buckets) are filter on top of sponge
>> filter , corel chips and lava stones.
>
>Corel or coral chips?
>
>Why are you using coral chips in a FW tank? The low FW pH will dissolve the
>calcium carbonate from the chips and cloud up your water, not to mention
>leading to a undesireable higher pH levels.
>
>If your intention is to raise the pH, use very little and make sure you have
>the proper test kit to measure your water dkh. If your intention is to have
>a biological filter media, try using a more suitable media such as Seachem
>Matrix.
>
>jc
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Jimmy Chen]

> algae dont have spores. there are single celled kinds and the kind grows
on the
> sides of tanks

Not all algae are single cell and even single cell go water born, or we wont
have conditions such as "green water".

jc

[dz]

I use coral sand and it keep the pH up and stable.
Nothing beats a 40% water change per week.
Throw out your high tech filter and start changing water more often. All you
need is a sponge.


> wrote in message
...
> I agree about not using coral in FW tanks. Ingrid
>
> "Jimmy Chen" > wrote:
>
> >> In the biofilter (from top to bottom buckets) are filter on top of
sponge
> >> filter , corel chips and lava stones.
> >
> >Corel or coral chips?
> >
> >Why are you using coral chips in a FW tank? The low FW pH will dissolve
the
> >calcium carbonate from the chips and cloud up your water, not to mention
> >leading to a undesireable higher pH levels.
> >
> >If your intention is to raise the pH, use very little and make sure you
have
> >the proper test kit to measure your water dkh. If your intention is to
have
> >a biological filter media, try using a more suitable media such as
Seachem
> >Matrix.
> >
> >jc
> >
>
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/
> www.drsolo.com
> Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
> compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
> endorsements or recommendations I make.

[dz]

> wrote in message
...
> Check water parameters including ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH and
temperature.

If you try to mess around with pH, most likely you will hurt your fish.

> gravel in a tank set up for more than a month or two could be clogged with
debris =high nitrates. got gravel?

That is why you should use calcium carbonate based sand such as marine
substrate.

1. It has more rounded edge than silica based sand.
2. Buffer and keep pH high.

[dz]

> wrote in message
...
> but in freshwater the algae is mostly on the side of the tank. Ingrid

What does that have to do with anything?
There are tons of alge on the side of the tank in sal****er too. Do you have
a reef tank?

[[email protected]]

right, the single celled kind are water born, the mutli celled kinds adhere to
objects and grow out from there. Ingrid

"Jimmy Chen" > wrote:

>> algae dont have spores. there are single celled kinds and the kind grows
>on the
>> sides of tanks
>
>Not all algae are single cell and even single cell go water born, or we wont
>have conditions such as "green water".
>
>jc
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[[email protected]]

pH needs to be checked mostly to make sure it hasnt dropped due to nitrites or spiked
due to ammonia. marine sand may be good for SW tanks, but for FW dolomitic limestone
is used instead. Because GF are so messy many of us have found a bare bottom tank is
easiest to keep clean and keep water quality stable. Ingrid

"dz" > wrote:

>
> wrote in message
...
>> Check water parameters including ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH and
>temperature.
>
>If you try to mess around with pH, most likely you will hurt your fish.
>
>> gravel in a tank set up for more than a month or two could be clogged with
>debris =high nitrates. got gravel?
>
>That is why you should use calcium carbonate based sand such as marine
>substrate.
>
>1. It has more rounded edge than silica based sand.
>2. Buffer and keep pH high.
>
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Kay]

dz wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Check water parameters including ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH and
>
> temperature.
>
> If you try to mess around with pH, most likely you will hurt your fish.
>
>
>>gravel in a tank set up for more than a month or two could be clogged with
>
> debris =high nitrates. got gravel?
>
> That is why you should use calcium carbonate based sand such as marine
> substrate.
>
> 1. It has more rounded edge than silica based sand.
> 2. Buffer and keep pH high.
>
>
>

I agree. Not everyone has a bare bottomed tank. I use marine sand with
excellent results.

Kay

[dz]

> due to ammonia. marine sand may be good for SW tanks, but for FW dolomitic
limestone
> is used instead.

FYI:
Marine sand is Calcium carbonate based.
Dolomite is Calcium Mageisium carbonate.
Dolomite also used in SW tanks.